I'm posting this just to play the devil's advocate (and because I am curious!). Short-term/high frequency (as in frequency of days out of the week, 7/7 if you can) sun exposure has TONS of lovely health benefits: vitamin D, happy feelings, all the mysteries of sungazing and more.

Arugula also put together a good case about exposure and aging.

Now... What if properly administered exposure (avoid peak rays, eat lots of antioxidants, build exposure BEFORE summer, etc.) BOTH aggravated visible aging, but positively affected health and longevity? What if the benefits outweigh the costs? Our ancestors didn't idle the days at work in office buildings in the basement playing N64--we have to be made for some kind of exposure, as in proper increments, it is so salubrious.

I definitely think that the sun's rays are therapeutic epsecially combined with a raw diet and exercise.

My daughter has always avoided the sun, She never did ANY outdoor activities before raw. In an effort to get her healthy again, I've been making her sit in the sun for 15 minutes daily. Her acne has improved, her skin has a healthy glow, and she reports feeling happier than ever. She enjoys listening to the birds sing, watching butterflies, and she finally started taking notice of what's in bloom in our garden.

Yes, there is a whole other world outdoors away from computers, video consoles, television, etc.

The damage is cumulative. A lot of people think that as long as they don't get burned they aren't getting damaged. No. Every second counts and a lot of damage takes place before visible burning. The freckly Celtic types can have a lot of damage before the age of 12. They tend to get the crinkles around the eyes and the lines on the forehead very quickly.

My choice is to leave my legs exposed.

I really don't want a saggy face and neck. Or arms like leather and dark spots all over my hands. So I protect those at all times.

Our ancestors lived in latitudes more appropriate to their skin types and they tended to die before the age of 30 and didn't have the hole in the ozone layer so it wasn't a big problem back then. But we live a lot longer than that even when we aren't raw, probably will live longer still if raw.

You can get your D from a pill.

I don't think there's a substitute for the feel-good factor though. I guess if I were going to go to the beach or something where I was in a position of high and deliberate exposure I would definitely slather on the synthetic stuff with a high UVA rating (as well as high SPF). La Roche Posay Anthelios or something like that.

lol... you only have problems if ya dont eat the diet that your intended for. Think of it this way...

People who are SAD have poor joints, digestion... and things just dont seem to get repaired. But people who are raw... they have no problem with digestion, joints, mobility... things of this nature. The same is with the skin, as long as it can be repaired because the diet is good, circulation is good... and whatnot, sun exposure isnt as big a deal. Some days I feel like all I want is to sit in the sun, its like a meal in itself... some how I am filling up on something essential.

I bet if you check with F1 he has no problem being in the sun at all.

Interesting,Various medical doctors have different thoughts on this topic.
and I realize everyone has different beliefs on the topic.

Dr. Mercola who has a web site has some thoughts on the topic that might be worth checking out.Mercola.com

I am funny with any cosmetic product and did a lot of research before a found a sun block that I am comfortable with. Its by Aubrey and it is a physical sunblock.
My understanding is there are only 2 types of physical sun blocks(not sunscreens) and they are Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide. I am using the Titania Sunblock currently and it has very few ingredients and they are ingredients that have tested for being non toxic. Aubrey is known as making very clean products.I personally believe they r the best bet with using a sun block 4 those who choose to use one.(and shampoo) but to each his own

Hope that helped someone.

Sun block is insane. The sun is FOOD.

lol... titanium dioxide... check out how many products have titanium dioxide in it as the last ingredient.

Context Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> lol... you only have problems if ya dont eat the
> diet that your intended for. Think of it this
> way...
>

Context, most if not all of the Caucasian raw
foodists who put their pictures up on the internet
have significant sun damage. Look at Doug Graham,
Gabriel Cousens, Viktoria Boutenko...

I challenge to you find a single Caucasian raw
foodist over the age of 45 who is not significantly
sun damaged. This includes not just sags, but wrinkles
around the eyes, lines across the forehead, pigmentation
problems, etc.

The instrinsic pigmentatiton thing has been discussed
at length elsewhere. Higher natural pigment = more
natural protection.

I don't know if it's sun damage or just getting older. I've been in the sun my whole life, rarely used sunblock, am Caucasian / Native American with Irish freckles and my skin is great. I have way less wrinkles than my younger sisters who swear by sunscreen. So who really knows. I just know that I need sunshine!!! Hence the name
Sundancer

I have always felt the sun calling me. When I was little, I would see my cat laying out in the sunny grass and my fondest childhood memories are laying out there with him. All my animals ( cat's, dogs, horses, guinea pigs) like to get SOME sun, not too much.

I tan in the beginning of summer so I won't burn later and I like the way it looks and it feels so cleansing. I am of Swedish descent and am very light skinned. I decided last year to quit using sunblock at all. I am 39 and have no wrinkles. When my Swedish, light skinned father died at 79 he hardly had wrinkles after being a farmer for a lot of his life and always out in the sun his entire life. I do have freckly skin just like my mother. My daughter had lots of freckles show up before she ever was in the sun, so I know that is genetic. I think years of dehydration and genetics has more to do with severe wrinkles than sun exposure. This year I have tanned twice for about 40 minutes and my skin is a golden color. I can't believe how pretty it is. This is so controversial. I don't know who to listen to, so I have to follow my own instincts .

I burn so easily its insane, I stay out of the sun at all costs

I am Cuban, Cantonese, Jamaican, Puerto rican & Welsh!!

Maybe this year I might try a little sun!

Hello everyone the sun is good for you!!!!! Ever since I went raw I do not burn at all. I lay naked in direct sunlight in the middle of the day in South Florida in the middle of July. All that happens is I get nice colour on my skin. the sun is life lay naked in it and enjoy!!!

i love the sun too but i hardly ever get any colour at all, just the teeniest little bit. i don't use any sun screen but i do stay in the shade and wear a big hat as i don't like to get too too hot or have the sun right in my eyes. i think maybe years ago when the ozone wasn't damaged by pollution it might have been ok to be in the direct sun but not anymore. julianno up close looks like his face is made of cardboard ~ DRY! not a look i want for myself.

Coco, funny, I was going to ask if anyone had seen him up close and in person. I think he is about my age (born in 63) and phototype (III-IV Mediterranean).

Edit. He as 34 in 2003 so he is about 39 now. Five years younger than me.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2008 10:52PM by arugula.

arugula...

I believe you are correct in a certain context... not all of us are built to be in the sun all of the time. Some who are very pale, with little pigment, dont need as much sun to get what they require from the sun... this to me seems in line with the nature of a persons blue print. Aswell though in the early morning hours... and late evening the sun is not as... intense. And will not damage the skin much like it will between the hours of 10:00 am and 2:00 pm.

As for those people that you mentioned... just because they are raw doesnt mean they eat the correct diet. I am sure I can find raw caucasians who look perfectly fine, and raw colored people who have many wrinkles. I bet they ate alot of herbs, plants, and grains... which can cause acidosis.

Hey arugula, we r the same age,pretty cool -what month were you born?


Everone,On this topic: In my opionion,there r many factors that go into why one person ages faster than another.I do believe a big part of it is your own unique genetic make up.Diet,Exercise,Stress,drugs and alcohol,being in the sun 4 long periods of time unprotected and many more factors.

I do use a physical sun block by Aubrey.Started when I was 32 and I do believe it helped.I do look younger than 44 and I believe it is from genetics,life time exerciser,good daily vitamn/mineral supplement and using the sun block.

I am very fair skinned with light eyes. I have freckles (had more as a kid), and already have smile wrinkles (better than frown ones!). My family has always had sagging skin as they aged--I think it's part of our genetics.

My skin used to be paler before I was raw (I've been 100% almost 1 1/2 years). Now it has a bit of color to it and I don't look so sickly (in college people sometimes said I looked like a ghost). I used to avoid the sun as much as possible, because I would get physically sick (upset stomach, migraines, fever). However, I found myself last summer being drawn outside to eat my meals on the front porch--sitting in the sun. I didn't even realize at first that I was doing this. It was extremely pleasurable to be out in the sun--I would sit there for long periods of time, just feeling everything (the feeling on my skin and how it radiated down to my bones, the wind touching my skin and hair, the smells, the sounds, etc.). Once I realized I had unconsciously made a habit out of going outside, I started to joke that I needed my sun time whenever it would be time to eat.

Then it happened...Autumn in Pittsburgh arrived. No more sunshine for me. I started to feel stir-crazy and had an instinct to flee as fast as I could. I didn't tie it in with the lack of sunshine right away. I went away for ten days for a retreat, to see if there was something going on that I needed some quiet time to work out. I can't remember when it dawned on me (it didn't happen during the retreat), but I realized the lack of sun was causing me to have an extremely strong desire to move/flee. I realized I was meant to be in a place where there is more sunshine (Pittsburgh, although a nice place to live, doesn't have enough sunshine or clean air for me any more).

Anyway, I shared all of that because I feel that I *need* the sunshine. I think it, in may ways, speeded along my healing process during my first year on raw foods. I can only imagine what kind of healing will take place when I'm living in Northern California and soaking in even more rays of sunshine.

Will my skin sag and wrinkle more from the sun exposure? I guess we'll see. I'd rather not have wrinkles and sags, but maybe on every other level I'll be so glowingly healthy from what the sunshine feeds my body that the sags and wrinkles won't be noticed as much? I don't think all we get from the sun is Vitamin D. I feel physically drawn to it and it feels like it feeds me on such a deep level.

Lots of love to all of you,

Wendi
XOXOXO

I feel the same way. I have to soak as much as I can while the weather is nice, because the winters in Ontario are BIG and MEAN. >.<

I didn't realize how crazy the lack of sun was making me until I finally started getting some, and as an immediate result, started feeling *awesome.*

Keepitsimple3344 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey arugula, we r the same age,pretty cool -what
> month were you born?
>
>
> Everone,On this topic: In my opionion,there r many
> factors that go into why one person ages faster
> than another.I do believe a big part of it is your
> own unique genetic make
> up.Diet,Exercise,Stress,drugs and alcohol,being in
> the sun 4 long periods of time unprotected and
> many more factors.


Exactly.

My youthful appearance is genetic for the most part. Raw simply enhances and sustains. Most of my family on both sides have this characteristic. However, most have died horrendous deaths with, SAD, the standard american diseases, even though they "looked good". Most never wrinkled, but a few had some skin damage despite their various hues of pigmentation and one had skin cancer. I identify as black by the way with mixed ancestry.

A few 40 year olds on here huh? Nice.

The sun and skin discussion is now officially on the ping pong table.

I have my own viewpoint on the subject and first and foremost I'm listening to my body and intuition. I agree with some and disagree with others.

I personally still burn and don't see myself as having built in sun block protection as a dark skinned person. As far as I'm concerned, I'm the only one living in my skin and I know what's up with it. lol. I protect my skin and I will continue to do so until I don't need to.

For those who do use natural sun screens, what do you use? Thanks for sharing! Peace, RAWangel



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2008 03:10PM by rawangel.

i love the sun. i got a chance to sit out today covered in coconut oil...i ate it and rubbed it everywhere


.........living to tell a tale of a life it self........

One thing I noticed last summer was the sun did not effect me as it use to. Before eating raw My skin would get water blisters from just the heat. While eating raw my skin did not blister and did not burn easily. I still used commen sense. I don't like puting stuff on my skin. Her in Washington state we don't get a lot of sun.

I'd sooner cook my food then my skin.

A little bit in the morning and evening feels nice though.

Context,

It appears that you have a monoploy on right and wrong. In my opinion, dogmatism is really unhealthy. Again,I could be wrong,I dont have a monoply on the "truth".

Keepitsimple3344 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey arugula, we r the same age,pretty cool -what
> month were you born?

August 63. In a little more than 5 years they will start
sending me the AARP journal. Argh! I'm going to be one
of those skinny little crazy old ladies with lots of
cats and a rose garden.

But I will NOT be hunched over and osteoporotic, I will
not be frail because I will be going to the gym. And
I also intend to keep turning heads for as long as
possible. Sun protection is a part of that for me.

arugula Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Keepitsimple3344 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Hey arugula, we r the same age,pretty cool
> -what
> > month were you born?
>
> August 63. In a little more than 5 years they will
> start
> sending me the AARP journal. Argh! I'm going to be
> one
> of those skinny little crazy old ladies with lots
> of
> cats and a rose garden.
>
> But I will NOT be hunched over and osteoporotic, I
> will
> not be frail because I will be going to the gym.
> And
> I also intend to keep turning heads for as long
> as
> possible. Sun protection is a part of that for me.


I'm a few months older than you and I'm already getting those AARP flyer thingys in the mail. Guess they're getting a head start. lol. According to a friend of mine who studied traditional chinese medicine, I believe the hunched over look has a lot to do with the kidneys malfunctioning too. I'm sure you'll be golden in your golden years. Aack! I don't even wanna say that...we need to come up with some new terminology.

arugula Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> But I will NOT be hunched over and osteoporotic, I
> will
> not be frail because I will be going to the gym.
> And
> I also intend to keep turning heads for as long
> as
> possible. Sun protection is a part of that for me.


I'm sure you will turn many!

Have you posted any pics?